September 2022

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................ 4
Papers overview................................................................................................................................ 4
Provision of Papers to the Vote Office .............................................................................................. 5
Laying before both Houses or before the House of Commons only ................................................. 6
Laying requirements for all papers ................................................................................................... 7
Timing of release and publication of papers laid before the House .................................................. 8
Format of Command, House of Commons and Unnumbered Act papers and title pages ................ 9
Times papers can be laid in the Journal Office ................................................................................ 10
Act Papers ................................................................................................................................ 12
House of Commons (HC) Papers ..................................................................................................... 12
HC numbers .................................................................................................................................... 13
Unnumbered Act Papers ................................................................................................................. 13
Laying Act papers ............................................................................................................................ 13
Papers laid by Return to an Address (Unopposed Returns) ............................................................ 14
Command Papers ..................................................................................................................... 15
Statutory Instruments .............................................................................................................. 16
Sending papers to scrutiny Committees .................................................................................. 17
Withdrawing a paper and correction slips ............................................................................... 18
Corrections to Command and Act papers ....................................................................................... 18
Corrections to Statutory Instruments ............................................................................................. 18
Withdrawing a paper ...................................................................................................................... 19
Contacts for further advice ...................................................................................................... 20
Appendix 1: Summary checklist for departments to follow ..................................................... 21
Appendix 2: Laying email, naming of files, and sending large files ......................................... 22
Laying email .................................................................................................................................... 22
Naming of laid papers ..................................................................................................................... 22
Large files ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Appendix 3: What can be laid when ........................................................................................ 24
Appendix 4: Sample title page for Act papers .......................................................................... 25
Appendix 5: Sample title page for Command papers .............................................................. 26
Appendix 6: Sample laying letter for an HC paper, unnumbered Act paper or Command paper
.................................................................................................................................................. 27

2
Appendix 7: Sample laying letter for a Statutory Instrument .................................................. 28
Appendix 8: Sample letter requesting a motion to be tabled .................................................. 29
Appendix 9: Sample letter withdrawing a paper ..................................................................... 30

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Introduction
1. This guidance note is written for staff in organisations that are required to lay papers
before Parliament. This note also covers the provision of hard copies of papers to the
Vote Office.

2. The information in this guide will help you to determine which type of paper you are
laying, set out what you are required to do at each stage of the laying process, and
ensure that it is presented for laying in the correct format. If you have any questions
or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the House of Commons Journal Office
on 020 7219 3361 or email journaloffice@parliament.uk.

3. Specific requirements for the following categories of paper are set out in this guide:

• Act papers (for both those printed as House of Commons (HC) papers and
unnumbered Act papers); and
• Command papers (numbered and unnumbered).

4. Basic information on the laying of Statutory Instruments (SIs) is given on page 16

and the Journal Office will be happy to provide you with the advice that they can
offer. The SI Registrar (SIregistrar@nationalarchives.gov.uk) is able to provide
detailed information on the preparation and making of SIs and the parliamentary
procedures relating to them or you can consult Statutory Instrument Practice.

5. The parliamentary branch of your department or parent department may also be

available to offer advice on the laying of papers. If your paper is a numbered
Command or House of Commons Paper, you will need to contact HH Global (the
RM6170 Lot 1 Framework supplier until December 2024) about producing and
distributing your paper. While you can use other suppliers in addition to HH Global
you will need to use some core HH Global services as a minimum. Contact The
National Archives for further information.1

6. Other papers (e.g., Explanatory Memoranda etc) may be printed by another supplier
or by your own department. If you are not using HH Global, you will need to contact
the House of Commons Vote Office to ensure that copies of the paper are available
to Members. If you are laying your paper in the House of Lords, you will also need to
contact the House of Lords Printed Paper Office.

7. The information in this guidance note relates to laying requirements for the House of
Commons. However, the requirements of the House of Lords are substantially
similar. Contact details for the Printed Paper Office in the House of Lords are
provided, together with the details for the Journal Office and other sources of advice,
at the end of this guidance.

Papers overview
8. The purpose of laying a paper before the House of Commons is to make the
information contained in the paper available to the House and its Members.
Members may request a PDF version of a paper from the Journal Office as

1
The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, the Chief Executive of The National Archives, is responsible for setting the
production standards and overseeing the publication of certain government publications including HC and Command papers.

4
 soon as it is laid. Hard copies of laid papers must also be available in the
Vote Office as soon as they are laid (see paragraphs 11–14).2 A large print
(20. pt. arial) copy should also be provided. Depositing a paper in the House of
Commons Library does not constitute laying.3

9. Once a paper has been laid before the House, it will appear in the Papers Laid
section of the Votes and Proceedings. The Votes and Proceedings is the formal legal
record of what happens in the House of Commons and is published overnight at the
end of each sitting day and is available online.4 If you have laid a paper and it does
not appear as expected please alert the Journal Office (journaloffice@parliament.uk).

10. Many papers are required by law to be laid before the House. These are called Act
papers and are referred to as being laid “by Act”.5 Other papers are made available
to the House by the Government. These are called Command papers and are
referred to as being laid “by Command”.6 A paper cannot be laid by both Act and
Command, although in some cases papers are laid by Act in the Commons and by
Command in the Lords. If you are in any doubt as to the authority by which your
paper should be laid please contact the Journal Office as early as possible, as we can
check for precedent. It might also be advisable to check with your departmental
lawyers who will be aware of the department’s (or non-departmental body’s) relevant
statutory responsibilities, as well as any updates to them.

Provision of Papers to the Vote Office

11. The Vote Office requires hard copies of all papers that are:

• laid;
• the subject of oral and written ministerial statements; or
• likely to be of interest to Members of Parliament.

12. It is the department’s responsibility to provide hard copies of the above documents,
either by using HH Global or producing themselves. Documents must be available in
the Vote Office to distribute as soon as they are laid/released, in line with the
Speakers ruling (25th March 2009, HC Deb col 307). If departments experience any
difficulties abiding by this ruling, then they must inform the Vote Office
(vote_office@parliament.uk or 020 7219 3631) as soon as possible. In exceptional
circumstances, where a department has failed to make arrangements to provide hard
copies to the Vote Office, it may be possible to supply a print-ready PDF. Provision of
a print-ready PDF may only proceed with the agreement of the Vote Office, and it
must be received by the Vote Office well in advance of laying.

2
Speaker’s Ruling, 25 March 2009 (HC Deb Col 307). The Vote Office no longer requires hard copies of annual reports
and accounts from non-ministerial government departments, agencies, and other bodies (see
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations). For these the Vote Office will only require a print-ready PDF at the time of
laying. This only applies to annual reports and accounts. A large print (20. pt. arial) copy should also be provided.
3
More information on deposited papers is available here.
4
www.parliament.uk/business/ publications/business-papers/commons/votes-and-proceedings.
5
The Act that requires the paper to be laid provides statutory authority. This also applies to papers laid by Statutory
Instrument
6
The Government lays these papers “by Command” of Her Majesty under the Royal prerogative.

5
 13. The requirements for the Vote Office are also true of the need for hard copies in the
House of Lords Printed Paper Office. Departments must liaise with the Printed Paper
Office (printedpaperoffice@parliament.uk) regarding their requirements for hard
copies in the House of Lords.

14. Departments should also provide one large font (20 pt. Arial) hard copy of
all papers.

Laying before both Houses or before the House of Commons only

15. Before laying your paper, you should check whether it needs to be laid before
Parliament (i.e. both the House of Commons and the House of Lords) or only before
the House of Commons. The title page of the paper should be worded accordingly
(i.e. ‘Presented to Parliament...’ or ‘Presented to the House of Commons...’).

16. The Treasury may issue an accounts direction under section 7 of the Government
Resources and Accounts Act 2000. Accounts to which such a direction applies must
be prepared and transmitted to the Comptroller and Auditor General, who must
certify and report on them to the Treasury. They must be then laid before the
House of Commons. Accounts produced under sections 6 and 7 of this Act
should not be laid before the House of Lords unless there is an Act of
Parliament stating that an accompanying report must be laid before
Parliament.

17. Trading Funds are subject to an accounts direction provided for by Section 4(6) (a)
of the Government Trading Funds Act 1973 (as amended by the Government Trading
Act 1990). The same procedures for reporting by the Comptroller and Auditor
General should be followed, except that reports and accounts under the
Government Trading Funds Act 1973 are laid before both Houses.

18. If your paper is laid under a different Act, the Act will specify whether the paper is to
be laid before Parliament or before the House of Commons. Your lawyers or those of
your parent department will be able to check this for you.

19. Command papers and most Statutory Instruments are normally laid before both
Houses.

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Laying requirements for all papers
20. To lay a paper, an e-laying PDF copy of the paper and an accompanying laying letter
should be sent via email to the laying offices of the House(s) you wish to lay in.7 See
the appendices on pages 27 and 28 for templates of laying letters.

• Departments must lay papers using their generic parliamentary team/clerk email
address. Papers sent from a non-generic email address will not be accepted for
laying;
• all papers must be in e-laying PDF format not Word. Papers sent in Word
format will not be accepted for laying;
• departments must include the document concerned and all related
documents in their email (e.g., the laying letter, accompanying documents,
and any accompanying approval motion letter);
• explanatory memoranda, impact assessments, and any other accompanying
documents should be included as separate files to the main paper; and
• departments should only lay one paper and its accompanying documents per email.
See the appendix on page 22 for the specific formatting requirements for laying
emails.

21. On receipt, papers are checked for errors (e.g., in formatting) by the Journal Office.
On submitting a paper, you will receive an automatic reply to your email that says
that the Journal Office have received your paper to be laid. That email is only an
indicator of receipt, not a confirmation of laying. If there are any issues with
the paper that may result in it not being accepted as laid, we will be in touch
separately. You should check to see whether a paper has been confirmed for laying
by looking in the Papers Laid section of the House of Commons Votes and
Proceedings published the following morning to check that it has been listed.

22. The copy of the paper laid before the House must be the final version. The
published version of the paper, which cannot be published before the paper is laid,
must be the same as the laid version. Publishing a paper prior to laying is seen as
discourteous to the House and can carry political risks for departments. In addition,
the Vote Office can’t distribute copies of a paper which is due to be laid until it has
been formally laid, even if it has been made available online. If any revision or
correction is necessary after laying, please contact the Journal Office to discuss
whether the paper can be corrected or if it should be withdrawn and re-laid. Further
information is given on page 18.

7
For the Commons send PDFs to laidpaperscommons@parliament.uk and for the Lords send to laidpaperslords@parliament.uk.
Contact HH Global: commandandhouse.team@hhglobal.com for information on the difference between an e-laying PDF and a
print-ready PDF.

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Timing of release and publication of papers laid before the House
23. A paper is considered to have been formally laid before the House when a copy of it
is accepted by the Journal Office. HH Global will liaise with the Vote Office directly
for the production of hard copies of HC papers and Command papers, plus
unnumbered Act papers where a department may also use HH Global. If
organisations are producing and printing the paper within the department then it will
be their responsibility to ensure that hard copies are available for Members at the
time of laying, and you must contact the Vote Office (Vote_Office@parliament.uk) to
make them aware of the arrangements. Once a paper has been laid there should be
as short a time as possible before it is made available to Members. This does not
mean that the paper also has to be available to the general public at that time,
however there should not be a long delay between laying and making the paper
publicly available.

24. If your paper is an unnumbered Command paper (other than an Explanatory

Memorandum or Impact Assessment to a Statutory Instrument or an Annual Report
and Accounts) you should e-mail a PDF copy to the Vote Office prior to the time of
laying (Vote_Office@parliament.uk).

25. If a paper is subject to an embargo, you may lay it before the embargo expires. You
should however make this clear in its laying email. The Journal Office is not
responsible for monitoring or enforcing embargos, and you should be aware that
Members may view papers as soon as they have been laid (i.e., before the embargo
expires).

26. If your paper is subject to a timed release (for example to coincide with a statement)
and it is not desired that Members have copies in advance, you should wait until the
time of release to lay the paper. Nonetheless, there is an expectation that Members
should be able to have sight of papers which form the content of Ministerial
Statements before the statement begins.

27. Any paper required by an Act of Parliament to be laid before the House, should not
be made publicly available (e.g., on a website) before it has been laid. The release of
an HC paper before laying is a discourtesy to the House. Where parliamentary
privilege is an issue (e.g., Unopposed Returns) note that the paper will not attract
the protection of parliamentary privilege until it is laid.

28. HC papers cannot be laid when the House is not sitting.8 Other Act papers will be
received but are not treated as being laid until the next sitting day and should not be
published, or otherwise released, until that sitting day. We therefore recommend
that unnumbered Act papers are only laid when the House is sitting (see the
appendix on page 24 for more detail on what can be laid when). You should also be
aware that if your Act paper needs to be laid in both Houses it will be necessary for
both Houses to be sitting. When only one House is sitting, the same restrictions as
for non-sitting days will apply. For more information on HC and unnumbered Act
papers see pages 12 to 15.

8
The recess dates for the House of Commons are available here and the recess dates for the House of Lords are available
here.

8
 29. After you have laid your paper it will be formally recorded in the Papers Laid section
of the House of Commons Votes and Proceedings for that day. 9

30. You should plan the laying and publication of your paper carefully to avoid being
unable to lay because the House is adjourned. If you anticipate that you will have
difficulties in respect of this requirement you should contact the Journal Office as
early as possible in the process.

31. Departments are responsible for ensuring their paper is published on gov.uk correctly
and promptly after laying. Organisations without gov.uk access rights that are listed
on gov.uk should contact their parent departments to arrange publication.
Alternatively, organisations that have any queries should email
official.publishing@nationalarchives.gov.uk. The NAO, Electoral Commission, Local
Government Boundary Commissions, IPSA and professional bodies overseen by the
Privy Council Office should only publish papers on their own websites and not on
gov.uk.

32. Statutory Instruments, Command, House of Commons and Unnumbered Act papers
published by TSO are deposited in accordance with The National Archives contractual
publishing arrangements. Papers produced as Command, House of Commons and
un-numbered Act Papers are subject to digital legal deposit and the British Library,
on behalf of the Legal Deposit Libraries, harvests papers’ PDFs from gov.uk.

Format of Command, House of Commons and Unnumbered Act papers and title pages
33. Papers laid before the House must be in a standard format:

• A4 size;
• legible text in font of 10 point or greater;
• monochrome design is acceptable and is likely to reduce cost—graphical information
should have sufficient contrast to enable it to be read;
• colours used on title pages and on copyright statements should have enough
contrast between the text and the background; and
• hard copies provided to the Vote and Printed Paper Offices must be correctly bound
(saddle stitching (staples through the spine) or perfect binding (spine glued)). Spiral
binding is not acceptable.

Papers that do not meet House of Commons requirements will have to be edited,
reproduced, and resent. Please contact the Journal Office if you have any queries, to
ensure that your paper is acceptable for laying. The laid copy must be the same as
the published version.

34. All papers must contain a title page. The copyright notice (with the correct copyright
statement and the publication’s ISBN10) must be displayed on the reverse of the title
page in accordance with guidelines from The National Archives.11 The title page
should not bear substantive text, images, or a contents page on its reverse. Contact

9
The Votes and Proceedings is available online.
10
ISBNs for HC and numbered Command papers should be obtained from the series held by HH Global. ISBNs are required for
unnumbered papers (other than departmental minutes), but they need not be ISBNs from the series held by HH Global. The
department can use another ISBN series, if they have their own departmental series, for example.
11
The National Archives Guidance on copyright statements is available here.

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 The National Archives for more information
(official.publishing@nationalarchives.gov.uk).

35. A title page needs to include:

• the full title of the paper;

• the full statutory title of the body producing the paper (rather than the name the
organisation is known by);
• (if applicable) the specific period of time covered by the paper (e.g. 2022–23 for
financial years and 2022 for calendar years);
• the authority under which the paper is laid (e.g., by Act or by Command)—this
should be in the form of ‘Presented to Parliament pursuant to’ or ‘Presented to
Parliament by Command of Her Majesty’;
• (if an HC paper) the words “Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on XX
month year”);12 and
• (if applicable) a series number (CP or HC) —this should also appear on the front
cover of the paper.

Sample title pages are provided in the appendices on pages 25 and 26.

36. The Journal Office encourages departments and organisations to submit draft title
pages for checking at the earliest opportunity, to ensure that the required
information has been included and title pages meet laying requirements. Draft title
pages can be sent to journaloffice@parliament.uk. The Journal Office can turn these
around relatively quickly, usually within two working days (the summer recess may
be a possible exception). Allowing the Journal Office to check the draft title page
before the content of the paper has been finalised may help to avoid any delay in
printing and laying your paper.

37. For organisations which, unusually, expect to produce a report and accounts or other
papers as two separate volumes the requirements about title pages apply to each
volume. The laying letter and each title page should make it clear that there is more
than one volume. If the same HC or Command Paper number is being used for a
multi-volume paper the volumes should be numbered as HC 123–I, HC 123–II or CP
123-I, CP 123-II etc. etc. (i.e., volumes are distinguished by uppercase roman
numerals). Each volume should be laid as a separate email attachment.

Times papers can be laid in the Journal Office

38. The Journal Office is open to receive papers at the following times:

• Sitting days: 9.30am to 5pm.

The Journal Office should be informed before 3pm on the day of laying of any urgent
papers that need to be laid after 5.00 pm.13

12
If the date of laying changes late in the publishing process, the title page must be updated accordingly to show the correct
date. You should also check that you have updated the copies which you are providing to the Vote Office in the Commons and
the Printed Paper Office in the Lords.
13
On Mondays the House has usually risen by 10.30 pm, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the House has usually risen by 7.30
pm, on Thursdays the House has usually risen by 5.30 pm and on Fridays the House has usually risen by 3.00 pm. However,
the House may rise earlier than the times given, depending on the progress of business.

10
• Non-sitting Fridays and recesses: 11.00 am to 3.00pm

39. If the House of Lords rises before the Commons, the Journal Office will stop
accepting papers which are due to be laid before both Houses at that point, even if it
is before the deadlines above.

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Act Papers
House of Commons (HC) Papers
40. Some Act papers are ordered to be printed by the House of Commons. Papers
ordered to be printed are printed as part of the HC reference series which is
administered by the House of Commons Journal Office. Most HC papers relate to the
financial responsibilities of the House.14 Such papers attract the protection of
parliamentary privilege under the Parliamentary Papers Act 1840 from the moment
they are laid. This ensures that legal proceedings cannot be brought against persons
for the publication of the paper.

41. However, papers should not, other than in exceptional circumstances, knowingly
make references or comments which are in breach of an injunction or other order of
any court, or which might, without the protection of privilege, give rise to an action
for defamation. If circumstances arise when parliamentary privilege will be used to
protect the content of a paper, the authorities of the House must be consulted
beforehand. Such matters are likely to be dealt with by an unopposed return, not an
ordinary HC Paper.

42. If papers in the same sequence as your paper have previously been published as an
HC paper, or your paper has sensitive content, it is likely that it should be an HC
paper. If there is any question about whether a paper should be laid in the HC paper
series or not, please contact the Journal Office. You should note that many
organisations’ annual reports and accounts are required by an Act of Parliament to
be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (i.e., the National Audit Office)
before they are laid before the House.15 Reports so audited should be laid as part of
the HC numbered series.

43. If your paper is being published as an HC paper, you will need to contact the Journal
Office to be issued with an HC number (further information in paragraphs 45 to 49).

44. HC papers:

• must not be released, either in print or electronic format, before they have been laid
before Parliament (to do so would be considered a discourtesy to Parliament and the
paper would not attract the protections of parliamentary privilege before it is laid);
and
• should not be re-printed, in full or in part, as separate documents.16

You should plan the laying date and publication of your paper carefully to avoid
being unable to lay because the House is not sitting. Further information on the
timing of the release of papers laid before the House is given on pages 8 to 9.

14
Erskine May, paragraph 7.30
15
Organisations whose accounts are audited by the NAO usually fall into one of the following categories: a) the Treasury has
issued an accounts direction in relation to the report and accounts under the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000; b)
the accounts are those of a trading fund under the Government Trading Funds Act 1973; or c) the organisation is a Non-
Departmental Public Body (NDPB)/Arm’s Length Body (ALB).
16
For example, accounts which have been printed as part of a combined annual report and accounts should not be reprinted as
a separate document.

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HC numbers
45. The HC number series is administered by the Journal Office. Please contact the office
if you are unsure whether your paper should be an HC paper, to obtain an HC
number (sometimes called a printing number) or to let the Journal Office know if a
printing number is no longer required.

46. The HC number series restarts at the beginning of each Session rather than at the
start of the calendar year.

47. The Journal Office will not allocate HC numbers more than a month in advance of
laying.

48. To request an HC number, you should email journaloffice@parliament.uk with the

words “HC Number Request from” followed by the name of the organisation in the
subject header. You should indicate in the body of the email the date on which you
intend to lay the paper. If your request is urgent, please contact the Journal Office
on 020 7219 3361. If the expected date for laying changes you should inform the
Journal Office.

49. The HC number will remain valid until the end of the Session. You will need a new
HC number if the paper is laid in a different parliamentary Session from the one
originally planned. A new HC number is required for each year’s report and accounts.

Unnumbered Act Papers

50. Papers laid under the provisions of an Act, which aren’t ordered to be printed by the
House of Commons, are laid as unnumbered Act papers. Unnumbered Act papers do
not attract the protection of parliamentary privilege under the Parliamentary Papers
Act 1840 once they are laid. If your paper has previously been laid as an
unnumbered Act paper and doesn’t contain sensitive content, it is likely it should be
laid as an unnumbered Act paper. If there is a question about whether a paper
should be laid as an unnumbered Act paper, please contact the Journal Office.

Laying Act papers

51. As HC papers are ordered to be printed by the House they can only be laid when the
House is sitting. Unnumbered Act papers can be received on any day during an
adjournment or recess but will not be treated as being laid until the next sitting day.
See the appendix on page 24 for more information on what can be laid when.

52. The House does not normally sit on Fridays except those on which Private Members’
Bills are taken (thirteen per Parliamentary Session) and also adjourns periodically.
The Parliamentary calendar is available on the Parliamentary website; the Journal
Office can also advise about the days on which the House is expected to sit. Where
possible avoid laying on the last day before a recess because if there is a problem
with your paper, you may not be able to lay it until after the recess and this will
significantly delay publication. 17 Normal laying requirements as set out on pages 6 to
7 apply.

17
The recess dates for the House of Commons are available here and the recess dates for the House of Lords are available
here.

13
 53. The printing and format requirements of Act papers are set out on pages 9 to 10.
The procedures for laying Act papers are the same as set out on page 7.

Papers laid by Return to an Address (Unopposed Returns)

54. In some cases, the Government may wish to lay a particularly sensitive paper for
which there is no statutory requirement or authority to lay, but for which the
protection of parliamentary privilege is needed (the Report of the Daniel Morgan
Independent Panel is a recent example). You should contact the Journal Office as
soon as possible if you are preparing a paper which falls into this category. The
Journal Office can offer further written and oral advice. You should note that the
advance agreement of the Clerk of the Journals is required. The motion for such a
Return is not debated but must be tabled at least a sitting day before it is taken (at
the commencement of business) to allow the laying of a Return to an Address.18

55. If the House requires papers to be laid before it as a result of debates on Opposed
Returns, those papers are also to be HC papers.19

56. The process of laying a Return only applies to the House of Commons and the paper
will be assigned an HC number. If you are laying the same paper in the House of
Lords, the letter to the Printed Paper Office should state that the paper is an
unnumbered Command paper.

18
For more information on Unopposed Returns see Erskine May, paragraph 7.32
19
For more information on Opposed Returns, see Erskine May, paragraph 7.31

14
Command Papers
57. If there is no statutory authority for laying a paper, it can be laid “by Command”.
Command Papers are normally required to be laid before both Houses and can be
laid on any working day (Mon-Fri, excluding bank holidays) during the existence of a
Parliament. Some Command Papers appear within a numbered series administered
by The National Archives, which allocates the numbers required, and also sets
common standards on appearance and format. Guidance is available online.20 The
title page of all Command papers should state that the paper is “Presented to
Parliament by the Secretary of State/Minister for [name of department/position] by
Command of Her Majesty” and be followed by the month and year in which it is to be
laid.

58. If you are likely to want to present accounts as a Command paper, you should
consult your parent department well in advance. You should not request or use an
HC number.

59. You should contact The National Archives if you are planning to produce a paper as a
Command Paper. Contact details are provided on page 20.

60. Departments should be aware of other proceedings that run alongside the laying of a
paper. For example, when a Minister lays a departmental minute on a contingent
liability, they also need to make a written ministerial statement, for which notice
should be given to the Table Office.21

61. In some cases, papers (e.g., Departmental Minutes) are laid “by Command” but are
not printed or published in the numbered series. These tend to have limited
distribution. Guidance about unnumbered Command Papers should be sought from
The National Archives.

62. The procedures for laying Command papers are the same as set out on pages 6 to 7.

20
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/producing-official-publications/parliamentary-papers-
guidance/command-paper-requirements/
21
The Table Office can be contacted on tableoffice@parliament.uk or 020 7219 3302.

15
Statutory Instruments
63. Most Statutory Instruments (SIs) are required to be laid before the House by Act,
although some are required to be laid by Statutory Instrument (for example, many
Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland). Most Explanatory Memoranda and Impact
Assessments are laid by Command.22 Please ensure that the letter accompanying an
instrument clearly sets out whether an instrument has attachments (Explanatory
Memorandum or Impact Assessment) and what the laying authority is for the SI and
the accompanying documents (see also paragraph 73 and the appendix on page 28).

64. SIs are usually subject to parliamentary procedure. Please ensure that you include
details of which parliamentary procedure an instrument is subject to in its laying
letter (including the number of days, if any, applicable to that procedure). If it is not
subject to parliamentary procedure, please state this in the laying letter.

65. If you are laying an affirmative instrument, you will also need to email a letter to the
Journal Office requesting that they arrange for a motion to be tabled on the
remaining Orders (Future Business B) (see the appendix on page 29). This should be
attached to the same email as the laying letter, SI, and accompanying documents.

66. If, due to urgent circumstances, an instrument must come into force before it has
been laid before Parliament, under House Standing Orders and under Section 4(1) of
the Statutory Instruments Act 1946 there is a requirement for departments to notify
the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker explaining why copies
were not laid before the instrument came into operation. In these instances, in
addition to notifying both Speakers’ Offices, please copy in both laid papers offices as
these communications must be laid alongside the relevant Statutory Instrument.

67. Made affirmatives will be considered and approved in both Houses under
the title of the statutory instrument as initially laid, even if a later made
affirmative instrument subsequently changes the name of a previously laid
instrument awaiting approval.

68. All instruments must bear the National Archives certification imprint at the top of
each page.

69. For further information on the preparation and making of Statutory Instruments and
the parliamentary procedures relating to them, please contact
SIRegistrar@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

22
There are a few exceptional circumstances where explanatory material is required “by Act”: notably, instruments subject to
the “proposed negative” procedure under Schedule 7, Par 1, paragraph 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018; and
for treaties subject to Section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Should you have any queries over
whether Explanatory Memoranda should be laid “by Command” or “by Act” you should first contact your departmental lawyers
before contacting the Journal Office.

16
Sending papers to scrutiny Committees
70. The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, the Select Committee on Statutory
Instruments, and the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (in the House of
Lords) all scrutinise Statutory Instruments. Further information on the work of these
Committees is available online.23 Departments have a responsibility to ensure that
they comply with Statutory Instrument Practice and to email promptly all relevant
SIs, and Instruments subject to procedure (in the form in which they were laid
before Parliament) to the individual scrutiny committees.

71. All papers which are subject to a negative or affirmative resolution (for example SIs,
Statements of Changes in Immigration Rules, Treaties, statutory codes, or guidance)
are considered by one or more scrutiny committees. You may find it convenient to
simply add their email address to the e-laying message described above:

• All SIs should be copied to jcsi@parliament.uk;

• both SIs and other papers subject to a negative or affirmative resolution (including
certain HC and Command Papers laid in both Houses, except treaties) should be
copied to hlseclegscrutiny@parliament.uk; and
• treaties should be copied to HLIntlAgreements@parliament.uk

72. It is helpful to the scrutiny committees if the covering email mentions the procedure
the paper is subject to (affirmative/negative), and any paper numbers (e.g., SI 2022-
602).

73. All SIs should be accompanied by a laying letter that sets out clearly (see also the
appendix on page 28):

• The title of the paper and its number if applicable;

• the full title of the Act (including the relevant Section) or SI under which it is being
laid;
• (if applicable), that an Explanatory Memorandum and/or Impact Assessment is being
laid by Command;
• if a Public Bodies Order, that the Explanatory Document is laid under section 11 of
the Public Bodies Act 2011;
• if a Legislative Reform Order, that the Explanatory Document is laid under section 14
of the Regulatory Reform Act 2006, as well as the procedure that the Explanatory
Document recommends;
• what, if any, procedure applies to the SI;
• if an instrument is subject to a praying period, the number of praying days;
• the name of the laying Minister; and
• the direct phone number for the person responsible for laying.

23
https://committees.parliament.uk/

17
Withdrawing a paper and correction slips
Corrections to Command and Act papers
74. If it becomes necessary to correct or revise a paper after it has been laid, the options
are to withdraw and relay the paper or to issue a correction slip.

75. If the correction is substantive, it may be necessary to withdraw your paper and lay
it again.

76. Correction slips will be accepted for minor, typographical errors that are obvious on
the face of the paper. You must contact the Journal Office prior to the publication
and distribution of a correction slip. No matter how small the correction is, correction
slips must be reviewed and approved by the Journal Office before they can be
issued.

77. Information about correcting papers and correction slip templates are available
online from The National Archives.24 If a correction slip is issued or the paper is
withdrawn and re-laid it should be distributed to all known recipients of a paper.

78. If the correction slip has been approved by the Journal Office, please send the slip to
both laying offices (laidpaperscommons@parliament.uk and
laidpaperslords@parliament.uk), the Printed Paper Office [PPO]
printedpaperoffice@parliament.uk, the Vote Office vote_office@parliament.uk, and
any other body who received copies of the paper. Only at this point can the relevant
paper be amended online with the correction slip embedded before the contents
page. If a correction slip is rejected, then the paper will need to be withdrawn and
relayed in order to make the correction.

Corrections to Statutory Instruments

79. The laid version of a made Instrument (i.e., not a draft) must be the final correct
version. If it becomes clear during scrutiny by the Joint Committee on Statutory
Instruments that a minor correction is required and should be included in the
published version of the Instrument, you must contact the SI Registrar in order to
request a correction slip for an SI. If the SI Registrar approves the use of a
correction slip for a made instrument, then copies should be sent to
laidpaperscommons@parliament.uk, laidpaperlords@parliament.uk and
vote_office@parliament.uk.

80. Please note that made Instruments cannot usually be withdrawn. Therefore, if
significant corrections are required, the Instrument will need to be revoked or an
amending SI will need to be made.

81. The laid version of a draft Instrument is the copy that will be debated in a Delegated
Legislation Committee and considered by the Joint Committee on Statutory
Instruments (JCSI). If corrections that fall within the category regarded by the Joint
or Select Committee on Statutory Instruments as “suitable for inclusion in the
published version of the Instrument” are identified, a correction slip or reprint of the
draft may be issued but you must consult the SI Registrar in order to request one,

24
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/producing-official-publications/parliamentary-papers-
guidance/correct-paper/

18
 and if the draft has not yet been debated, the SI Registrar will seek the views of the
relevant scrutiny committee and laying offices before proceeding. Such corrections, if
identified after approval by the House, can be made in the published version of the
instrument, but a letter outlining the correction should be sent to
laidpaperscommons@parliament.uk and laidpaperslords@parliament.uk to be filed
with the original laid instrument. Where corrections are outside that category a
withdrawal and relaying will be required.

82. Explanatory Memoranda and Impact Assessments relating to Statutory Instruments

are laid by Command and may be withdrawn (please state which instrument the
memorandum relates to clearly in the covering letter). You should note that
correction slips are not permitted in relation to Explanatory Memoranda or Impact
Assessments.

Withdrawing a paper
83. If you need to withdraw a paper, you will need to email a withdrawal letter to
laidpaperscommons@parliament.uk in the Commons and
laidpaperslords@parliament.uk in the Lords. This letter must be in a separate email
from any letter laying a new version of the paper. The letter should include (see the
appendix on page 30):

• The full title of the paper including any reference number;

• the date on which the paper was originally laid;
• the reason for withdrawal; and
• whether and when a revised copy is to be laid.

84. Where possible, withdrawing and relaying a paper should happen on the same day in
both Houses. On withdrawal of a paper all original copies should be withdrawn from
circulation and destroyed.

85. Where an SI is subject to the affirmative procedure, Departments also

have a responsibility for withdrawing any outdated approval motions from
future business of the Commons and Lords respective Order Papers. To
withdraw an approval motion please email both laid papers inboxes with a formal
withdrawal letter stating the approval motion that needs to be withdrawn and why.
This can be included in the same email as the email withdrawing the paper.

19
Contacts for further advice

1. Journal Office, House of Commons

For advice on laying papers in the House of Commons, format of papers and title page
requirements contact: 020 7219 3317/3361 or e-mail journaloffice@parliament.uk

For HC numbers email journaloffice@parliament.uk or, if urgent, contact: 020 7219 3361.

2. Other contacts
Making hard copies of papers available to members of the House of Commons: Vote Office,
020 7219 3631, vote_office@parliament.uk

Laying papers in the House of Lords: Clerk of the Printed Paper Office, House of Lords, 020
7219 1246

Making hard copies of papers available to members of the House of Lords: Printed Paper
Office, 020 7219 3037/3038, printedpaperoffice@parliament.uk

Preparing reports and accounts for laying: In the first instance, advice should be sought
from the parliamentary branch of your parent department.

To organise the production and/or distribution of HC and Command Papers with HH Global,
email: commandandhouse.team@hhglobal.com

For advice on the production and publication of HC, Command, and unnumbered Act papers,
and obtaining Command Paper numbers: The National Archives, 020 8392 5218 or email
official.publishing@nationalarchives.gov.uk

The National Archives Guidance relating to Papers is also available at

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/our-services/ parliamentary-papers-
guidance.htm

For advice on HH Global contractual or cost queries contact the Crown Commercial Service,
CSSprintteam@crowncommercial.gov.uk.

Certificate and Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General: the appropriate Audit
Manager at the National Audit Office. The Parliamentary branch can be contacted on 020
7798 7106 or Denise.Smith@nao.gov.uk

Publication and Registration of Statutory Instruments: The SI Registrar, email:

SIRegistrar@nationalarchives.gov.uk

20
Appendix 1: Summary checklist for departments to
follow
• Have you made the House of Commons Journal Office journaloffice@parliament.uk
aware of any possible problems with the laying of your paper?

• Is your paper being printed by HH Global/TSO/Williams Lea? If not, have you spoken
to the Vote Office and agreed a deadline for providing a print-ready PDF in advance
of laying?

• On the day of laying, email laidpaperscommons@parliament.uk with the paper

entitled as specified in the appendix on page 22, the laying letter, and any
accompanying documents. Make sure to follow the naming conventions and
requirements set out in the appendix on page 22.

• Do the same for laidpaperslords@parliament.uk and for any appropriate scrutiny

committee.

• Have you received an automatic reply confirming receipt of your paper?

• Check the Votes and Proceedings the following day to see if the paper has been laid.

21
Appendix 2: Laying email, naming of files, and
sending large files
Laying email
Laying emails must include the following:

• the title of the paper;

• the authority for laying the paper (e.g., Act, Command);
• what, or whether any, parliamentary procedure (e.g., negative, affirmative, none)
applies;
• whether there are any accompanying documents (e.g., explanatory memorandum or
impact assessment);
• the name of the Minister formally laying the paper;
• contact details, including a direct telephone number, of the person responsible for
laying the paper; and
• (if applicable) that the document is being laid in proof or ‘typescript’ form. A “proof ”
copy for laying must be correct and not different in any way from the final published
version.

Naming of laid papers

Departments must follow our convention for the subject line of emails, to comply with our
software rules. The subject line of the email laying the paper should read:

[(Paper number) - Brief description of paper]

e.g. (HC 213) - Report of the Journal Office 2017–18

e.g. (SI 2020-400) - Terms and Conditions of Employment

Departments must also follow the naming conventions for files to ensure that our
software rules can deal with the paper appropriately. We may reject papers that do
not comply with our required naming conventions as set out below.

The file name of the PDF of the paper should read:

[(Paper number) - Title or brief description of paper]

e.g. (SI 2020-400) - Social Security SI

e.g. (SI 2020-400) - Social Security EM

e.g. (None) - Constitutional Law SI

e.g. (CP 379) - Treaty Series (No.1)

e.g. (HC 217) - Report and Accounts of the BBC

e.g. (None) - Report under Section 1(1) of Parliamentary Papers Act

The file name of the laying letter should read:

22
 [(Paper number) - Laying letter - title or brief description of paper [in the same
terms as the title of the paper]]
e.g. (SI 2020-400) - Laying letter - Social Security SI, EM and IA

e.g. (CP 379) - Laying letter - Treaty Series (No.1)

e.g. (HC 217) - Laying letter - Report and Accounts of the BBC

The file name of a withdrawal letter should read:

[Withdrawal letter – title or brief description of paper]

e.g. Withdrawal letter – Social Security SI and EM

The file name of an approval motion letter should read:

[(Paper number) – Approval motion - Title or brief description of paper [in the same
terms as the title of the paper]]
e.g. (SI 2020-400) – Approval motion - Social Security SI

Large files
Papers and accompanying documents over 50MB are too large to send via email
attachment. In these instances, papers have been submitted to the Journal Office using
third party suppliers (WeTransfer, EGRESS). We also have an external SharePoint site to
receive documents, however this requires the sender to have an Office365 account.
Whatever the method, the Journal Office, Printed Paper Office, and Vote Office need to
receive a print-ready PDF in order to be able to distribute to Members as necessary.

If you suspect that a paper will be too large to send via email attachment, please contact
the Journal Office at the earliest possible opportunity so that we can make alternative
arrangements for receiving the paper.

23
Appendix 3: What can be laid when
Sitting Day Adjournment Dissolution
or Recess

Draft SI Yes No No House exists

before which any
Special Procedure Order Yes No document can
be laid.
Made SI subject to Yes No
affirmative resolution
before coming into force

Made SI (whether Yes Yes

subject to no procedure,
negative procedure or
affirmative resolution
within a statutory period
after coming into force)

Command paper Yes Yes

Act paper printed by Yes No

order of the House

Other Act paper Yes Received but

treated as laid on
next sitting day

Return to an Address Yes No

24
Appendix 4: Sample title page for Act papers

NAME OF ORGANISATION Annual Report

and Accounts
2022-23

Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 9(8) of the Museums and Galleries Act 1992

Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on 7 July 2022

HC 253

*For unnumbered Act papers do not include highlighted or underlined text

25
Appendix 5: Sample title page for Command
papers

NAME OF ORGANISATION policy

document

Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State/Minister for XX by Command of Her Majesty

CP 253

26
Appendix 6: Sample laying letter for an HC paper,
unnumbered Act paper or Command paper
Departmental Contact
Information Here
Date
The Clerk in Charge
Journal Office/Printed Paper Office
House of Commons/House of Lords

Dear Journal Office/Printed Paper Office

Title of Paper in Bold [HC or CP No if applicable]

1. FOR COMMAND PAPERS - The above paper is presented for laying before [Parliament/the House
of Commons] by the Secretary of State/Minister for XX by Command of Her Majesty.

1. FOR ACT PAPERS - The above paper is presented for laying before [Parliament/the House of
Commons] pursuant to:

[Section of Act under which laying is authorised] or [Section of Act under which laying is
authorised, as amended by Section of Amending Act]]

We are also laying an explanatory memorandum [and an impact assessment] by Command of

her Majesty (if applicable)

2. The instrument/paper is subject to: [Type of procedure: delete as appropriate]

a. Special Parliamentary Procedure

b. Affirmative Resolution

c. Affirmative Resolution within [x] days

d. Affirmative Resolution under section X of XX Act [year]

e. Negative Resolution within [x] days

f. No Procedure

[FOR HC PAPERS – A Printing Order is required and HC XX has been allocated]

3. Please lay in the name of [Laying Minister]

Regards,

Parliamentary Branch

Name and contact telephone number of person dealing with this paper

27
Appendix 7: Sample laying letter for a Statutory
Instrument
Departmental Contact
Information Here
Date
The Clerk in Charge
Journal Office/Printed Paper Office
House of Commons/House of Lords

Dear Journal Office/Printed Paper Office

[Draft] Title of SI in bold

1. [[Draft] Title of SI] [SI YYYY, No. XX] is presented for laying before [Parliament/the House of
Commons] pursuant to:

[Section of Act under which laying is authorised] or [Section of Act under which laying is
authorised, as amended by Section of Amending Act]]

2. We are also laying an explanatory memorandum [and an impact assessment] by Command of

her Majesty (if applicable)/[an explanatory document under s.11 Public Bodies Act 2011]/[ an
explanatory document under s.14 Regulatory Reform Act 2006 recommending the XX
procedure]

3. The instrument is [a Legislative Reform Order]/[subject to: [Type of procedure: delete as

appropriate]]

a. Special Parliamentary Procedure

b. Affirmative Resolution

c. Affirmative Resolution within [x] days

d. Affirmative Resolution under section X of XX Act [year]

e. Negative Resolution within [x] days

f. No Procedure

4. Please lay in the name of [Laying Minister]

Regards,

Parliamentary Branch

Name and contact telephone number of person dealing with this SI

28
Appendix 8: Sample letter requesting a motion to
be tabled
Departmental Contact
Information Here
Date
The Clerk in Charge
Journal Office
House of Commons

Dear Journal Office

Full title of SI in Bold and SI No. if applicable

Please can you arrange for a motion to be tabled in Future Business to approve the following Statutory
Instrument which is subject to the [Affirmative procedure].

The information relating to the SI is as follows:

• Name of Instrument: []

• (if applicable) SI number: []

• Laid date: []

• Laid in [both Houses/the House of Commons]

• Laying Minister: []

Regards
Parliamentary Branch
Name and contact telephone number of person dealing with this SI

29
Appendix 9: Sample letter withdrawing a paper

Departmental Contact
Information Here
Date
The Clerk in Charge
Journal Office/Printed Paper Office
House of Commons/House of Lords

Dear Journal Office/Printed Paper Office

Full title of Paper in bold and SI/HCCP No. if applicable

1. Due to an error in the above document, which was laid on [date], it needs to be withdrawn.

2. [This paper is [not] subject to XX [Parliamentary] Procedure]

3. [IF A MOTION HAS BEEN TABLED TO APPROVE THIS PAPER – Please can the motion tabled in
Future Business to approve this Statutory Instrument be removed.]

4. A corrected version of this document is being laid today/will be laid on [date]

Regards
Parliamentary Branch
Name and Contact telephone number of person dealing with this paper

30